Middletown Man, 24, Lures Girl, 14, He Met Online, Prosecutors Say

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A Middletown man was arrested and charged on Aug. 18 with luring a 14-year-old girl last year using the popular online social media meeting site Kik, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.

Bryan Sanderson, 24, originally of Middletown, is already in jail because he violated Parole Supervision for Life as a result of a previous conviction, prosecutors say.

His Aug. 18 arrest stems from a motor vehicle stop on Sept. 9, 2015 in Union County. Union County police approached Sanderson's car after it was found with an expired registration while parked in a no parking zone. Inside the car, police found Sanderson with a 14-year-old girl, they said.

During their investigation, Union County police learned Sanderson was on parole supervision for life as a result of a previous conviction. Police contacted state parole authorities advising them that Sanderson was in a car with a juvenile, and he was arrested for violating his parole.

A subsequent investigation led to the discovery of numerous images and videos considered child pornography on Sanderson’s cellphone.

He is currently serving a sentence for the parole violation in the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Bordentown but is expected to be transferred Thursday to the Monmouth County Correctional Institute, where he will be held on a $250,000 bail.

Sanderson has been charged with one count of second-degree luring a juvenile, two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree violation of parole supervision for life. Investigators are seeking additional information about the man’s activities and looking to identify other possible victims.

Photo of Bryan Sanderson released by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office